43rd World Bridge Teams Championships
Lyon, France • 12 – 26 August 2017
August 17h
Alphonse Moyse Jr. (Sonny) of New York was the dean of American bridge writers, the senior member of a small army of ghosts whose columns bore the name of Ely Culbertson. For more than 20 years (1934-56), Moyse produced 14 syndicated newspaper columns a week—he wrote those signed by Josephine Culbertson, in addition to those signed by Ely—and for sheer volume nobody else comes close.
During this time some masterly contributions to the theory of the game appeared under his own byline.
Sonny was a stern traditionalist when it comes to bidding methods. Indeed, his most enduring fame may rest on his unshakable advocacy of opening bids on four-card major suits. To defend his position, Moyse frequently cited instances when a 4-3 trump suit triumphed where all else would have failed, with the result that this kind of contract became known worldwide as “the Moysian fit.”
Source: It Was Anything But A Moysian Fit, 1973 by Charles Goren
Obviously Moyse’s ghost was hanging around Lyon’s tables this morning.
BB: 14th Round of the WBTC 2017 Board 20
The bidding (open room):
 F. Multon |
 J. Rombaut |
Zimmermann |
Combescure |
1 |
Pass |
1 |
Pass |
| 1NT |
Pass |
21 |
Pass |
| 22 |
Pass |
3NT |
All Pass |
1: F.G.
2: 3 hearts
Lead:
J
As you can see Rombaut chose the only suit to defeat the contract. One down good bridge…
The bidding (closed room):
| F. Volcker |
T. Helness |
T. Bessis |
G. Helgemo |
| 1 |
Pass |
1 |
Pass |
1 |
Pass |
21 |
Pass |
| 22 |
Pass |
2NT |
Pass |
| 3 |
Double |
4 |
All Pass |
1: F.G.
2: 3 hearts
Lead:
7
When Volcker didnt close the NT game and after Helness double, Bessis chose to play 4
in the Moysian fit.
North won the lead with his
9 and back came the
K. He switched to a small spade. South was in with his
10 and left his hand playing the
3.
Declarer played a small spade from his hand and Helness
K was covered with dummy’s
A, he continued with two rounds of trumps, finishing in dummy and ruffed a club in his hand with the trump king.
Volcker returned to dummy with a diamond and played a trump, when both defenders followed the suit he claimed 10 tricks for 12 IMPs. The only posible leads that can defeat the contract is a heart lead or a diamond lead.
